diazepam withdrawal

Hi, me again stressing about my meds. Can anyone advise me on how to withdraw from 15mg of diazepam which i have been taking for three weeks. I keep speaking to the doctor but they just say cut it down, but I don't know how to. I have read so much about diazepam and just want to get off it. It affects my v ision and the way I am with my children, I hardly talk and just want to be off it now. I have looked at loads of websites but the advice is only for long term use of it. Can anyone out there help me with which one I should start to decrease, morning, afternoon or night time. I just want to feel me again. I currently take 5mg three times a day and by lunch time I am a zombie. I have also been waiting for a cpn for two weeks but no luck in them coming out yet, so just don't want to wait for too long. Hope someone out there can help me, worry, worry, worry, thats all I do. Thanks everyone.

regards, flossy xx

Hi Flossy69

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Hi Flossy, Are all your tablets in 5mg dose? You can get diazepam in 2mg dose. I think the best way for you to reduce them is to reduce to 4mg 3 times a day i.e. 2x2mg morn, lunch and then evening do that for a week then the following week reduce to 3mg 3 times a day i.e. cut one 2mg tablet in half and take 1x2mg + half of a 2mg tablet 3 times a day then following week take 1x2mg tablet three times a day, following week cut a 2mg tablet in half and take half a tablet 3 times a day. When you get to down to that dosage you can then start cutting out one of the times you take it. I would probably cut out the lunch time one first and just take half a tablet morning and evening and then cut one of those out until you are down to half a tablet once a day (not sure wether morning or evening would be best depends on how you feel at those times of the day). I hope this advise is not too confusing and helps, if someone else reads it and thinks it is they may offer different advice, but that is how I would do it. Good luck. Keep in touch. Love Jo.xx

Hi Jo, I have mainly 5mg ones but do have some 2mg. I have managed to get down to 2mg tablets in the afternoons now for four days and feel ok, so maybe I should start cutting down the morning one, as the 5mg at night helps me sleep. Thanks so much for all your help Jo, really appreciate it, its such a stressful time at the moment, get quite low about it. Thanks Jo.

Luv flossy xx:):)

Flossy...just wanted to let you know that I appreciate how you feel. I was on 5mgm three times a day for years. I too needed the night time one to sleep but managed to cut down gradually as you are doing. You can always half a tablet..at 2.5 mgm it would still be helping you to withdraw steadily. You will succeed, but think the Dr might have given you more helpful advice! Maybe a word with the practice nurse...sure she could help. Very best of luck and be strong.XX

Hi flossy,
I was on 2mg valium(diazepam), three times a day for 14 years when my doctor decided I wasnt getting any more. He promptly stopped my prescriptions and I went into a huge panic. He was adament I shouldnt have any more and told me to throw what I had away and stop that very day! That was 22 years ago and we didnt really know about weening off meds gradually. I didnt however just stop taking them, I cut them in half and then in quarters until I was just taking nibbles from the tablet. My dose was very small compared to yours and Im sure most of my 'withdrawal' was mind over matter! I cant say I did suffer anything other than the panic of not being able to get a prescription anymore.
Stay strong and just cut your tablets down when you feel strong enough to and I agree with mmac that perhaps your practice nurse might be the one for some support.
Good luck and very best wishes x

Hiu all, been managing on 5mg morning, 2mg lunch time and 5mg eve so far, no panic attack for 3 days so so far so good. My doc is doing me a chart today which I can collect tomorrow to help me. Just waiting for cpn to visit which seems to be taking ages. Thanks everyone for all your support, feel really lonely and scared alot of the time. Thank you.

Regards, flossy xx

Get off them as quickly and as safely as possible. I would have a go at dropping the afternoon dose straight away and see how it goes for a week, then drop the morning dose after another week. Then cut your nightime dose in half for a week and then again for a week and then stop. You may get insomnia for a bit but just persever until your natural sleeping pattern restores itself. Benzos are very dangerous if increased over longer periods of time as you become tolerant.

Valium has a very long half life, plus you have only been taking it for 3 weeks. Therefore the likelyhood of withdrawal is low so it should be pretty easy. You could cut each dose on half for a week then stop, or maybe kinder just take 2mg a day for a week at the end. Really it shouldn't be too hard other than having the original anxiety return anyway.

Bubble

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Originally Posted by BubbleBonce

Valium has a very long half life, plus you have only been taking it for 3 weeks. Therefore the likelyhood of withdrawal is low so it should be pretty easy. You could cut each dose on half for a week then stop, or maybe kinder just take 2mg a day for a week at the end. Really it shouldn't be too hard other than having the original anxiety return anyway.

Bubble

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i agree!